Trip Report:

Day 0:

I got a late start, leaving the Bay Area just before 5 PM. So much for
spending the afternoon at the lake. I rolled into Voyager Rock
campground around 10:45 PM. Slept in my truck and awoke the next
morning to find I was the only person in camp, some frost on the
ground. It warmed up quickly once the sun crested the surrounding ridge
and trees.

Day 1:

I heard Andrew on the radio around 9 AM and he was in camp a short
while later. He had stayed in Shaver Lake. We set up our chairs and
enjoyed the September sun, finally breaking out lunch, while we waited
to see if anyone else would show up. Finally, we heard Terry's truck
and he joined us in a few minutes. It was about 1PM, so we decided to
see how far we could get by sunset...

Chicken Rock is right out of camp, a 25° slab of granite that just
keeps climbing...

Up on top, we stopped for a few minutes to take in the view,

then dropped down the back side over some difficult terrain until we
reached the lake shore again. An abandoned FJ-40 Landcruiser beside the
trail was an ominous sign of the difficulty of the trail ahead.

We crossed Thompson Creek and headed upstream, passing granite domes
and the glorious Sand Highway. A stretch of smooth fast driving after
hours in 4LO.

After numerous false starts and just as you are about to give up hope
of reaching it, you finally decide you have reached Thompson Hill. You
don't realize when you actually reach the base of the hill, but after
about 30 minutes of continuous climbing, it becomes obvious that you
have arrived. Recent rains had helped to compact the loose soil and
kept the dust to a minimum. Thompson Hill is about 1.5 miles long and
climbs around 1000' on a loose, rocky hillside starting in the trees
and ending in a more open area at 10,000'. There are numerous tricky
spots and very few breaks. I took one hard line and had to lock up my
ARBs, but other than that, I did the trail with open differentials.

Andrew had his fan shroud come loose and stop his fan from spinning
causing the engine to overheat. We removed the shroud, refilled the
radiator and aside from one winch pull off a rock that flipped up under
his frame, he made it the rest of the way w/o anymore overheating
trouble. Terry's longer wheelbase was a big help on the steep climb.

We reached camp just as the sun was setting, very tired from 6 hours of
non-stop wheeling, 11 miles down, 22 to go!

Day 2:

We got going around 10 AM, it was a lot warmer here at 10,000' than the
first night at 8000'. We made good time, reaching East Lake a bit
before 1PM, where we stopped for lunch. I backed up a boulder
(above-left) to get some gas transferred out of my aux. gas tank (and
you thought I was just posing for the camera :-). We hiked out to East
Lake (above center) then continued on past Dogtooth Peak (above-right)
as we headed towards Ershim Lake.

Terry started hearing clunking sounds from the front of his truck. Sure
enough, the front IFS brace that holds the front diff in place had
broken. He had a spare, which we installed. Unable to get the bolt that
holds the diff in place, we used a screwdriver and some baling wire in
true McGyver fashion. This held up the rest of the trip.

We reached Ershim Lake by mid-afternoon. We were the only 3 rigs in
camp. Everyone cleaned up, relaxed and then enjoyed dinner by the
campfire. Insects were almost non-existent and it was another nice
evening.

Day 3:

We got an earlier start, breaking camp around 9 AM. You hardly have
time to get the engines up to operating temperature before confronting
Divorce Rock! One can only imagine how this spot got its name :-)

This rock is a huge granite spine, you start off with an off-camber
squeeze by a rock on the driver's side, then have to make a blind turn
to the right at just the right spot to drop off the rock. Turn too soon
and you'll tip to the passenger side, too late and you drive off the
end of the rock.

After that, its fairly easy wheeling through the trees, past East Lake
and Lakecamp Meadows. There are a few hard climbs on the way up tot he
high point on the trail.

You top out above tree line at about 10,200' with spectacular
360° views. Most of the high lakes are visible. You can see down
towards the end of the trail, but there are still some surprises in
store!

The trail drops pretty much straight dow the side of the hill, over
many huge boulders. On the way down, Andrew sheared all 6 bolts off of
on front hub, then in an off-camber spot, had his engine stall as the
fuel pickup went dry. 5 gallons of gas got him going again. On the way
down, Terry snapped the passenger side drive flange stub axle, then in
3WD, broke the outer CV joint on the driver's side. Luckily both breaks
needed no immediate attention but he had to finish the trail, including
winching over one large pair of boulders that flanked the trail. The
hardest part of the trail appeared to have been changed from 2 years
ago and it was not as bad with the new route (above-right).

The End:

We made it off the trail, 33 miles in 3 days. Many broken parts and
lots of good memories. We aired up and headed back to Shaver Lake then
on towards home.

Useful things to know about the Dusy-Ershim Trail:

This trail is one of the most difficult trails in the USA

More than half of trucks that run this trail come back with at least
minor body damage (dents and scratches) as you must drive very close to
large rocks and trees many times

It is only open a few months a year as snow and mud makes it impassible

It is long, about 33 miles from end to end, bring extra fuel if you are
so inclined

The driving is slow and the trail is at a fairly high elevation, 10,000
feet in some parts

The trail passes through a narrow corridor between two wilderness areas

There are many lakes and other scenic areas within 1/4 to 1/2 mile hike
from the trail if you are so inclined

A larger map of the Sierra National Forest OHV network is available by
clicking on the smaller map, below: